A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. [Proverbs 18:24]
We all have friends in this life, but none as close, no matter what as Jesus. Jesus Christ is more than a friend; He is our Savior, our Lord, our hope, and our light. When friends fail, Jesus is still there, patient, kind, understanding, and above all, true to His promised Word. Thank you dear LORD JESUS for your enduring faithfulness, Amen.
Legalism is trying to please God by the flesh (self effort). By attempting to keep a list of laws and rules that we think will earn us God's favor and keep us in good standing with Him. It is identity based on performance rather than relationship. It makes rule-keeping the basis of victory. It says you are what you do. Note! grace based Christians obey God because it's their delight, law based Christians obey because it's their duty. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9]
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Even children understand that unless a present is opened and explored, its value will remain unknown. Yet many people neglect “unwrapping” God’s gift of salvation through Jesus. They receive His forgiveness but fail to discover the marvelous treasures made available to them as children of God.
When God the Son came to dwell on earth, He took on human flesh. This mystery is known as the incarnation. Jesus, who was fully God, lived a sinless life. Yet He was also fully human. Without Christ, we would be eternally separated from God the Father. The sin we all inherited through Adam does not allow fellowship with the perfect God. So the Savior took our iniquities upon Himself and endured the death penalty in our place. And then He rose from the dead.
In doing this, Jesus redeemed us and opened the door for eternal fellowship with the Father. Any who so choose can accept mercy instead of punishment. It is God’s free gift, which includes an eternal home in heaven. We will live forever with Christians from every generation and can look forward to reuniting with loved ones who have already died in the Lord. A small...
You can not separate a person's will from the person's nature, and a nature that is opposed to God can not, will not, make a decision for Christ.
Tis not that I did choose thee, for Lord, that could not be; this heart would still refuse thee, hadst thou not chosen me.
We can not find God for the same reason that a thief can not find a police officer.
If there be ground for you to trust in your own righteousness then all that Christ did to purchase salvation and all that God did to prepare the way for it, is in vain.
God is completely sovereign, infinite in wisdom, and perfect in love.
Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. [Psalm 50:14 AMP] Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; we should be thankful that thorns have roses.
A man is not a sinner because he sins; man sins because he is a sinner.
Unregenerated man will always respond to God's revelation in one of three ways. (1)... self-imposed ignorance. (2)... self-justification. (3)... self-righteousness.
Guilt is concerned with the past. Worry is concerned about the future. Contentment enjoys the present. Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. [Philippians 4:11] AMP
The heart has no secret which our conduct does not reveal. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [Matthew 12:35] NIV
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REFLECTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER
September 2, 2012
No one is useless in this world that lightens the burden of anyone else. Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. [Romans 15:1-2] NAS
Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. For his merciful kindness is great toward us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! [Psalm 117:2] NKJ
Make it a rule to never go to a place where there is no room for Jesus. Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? [2 Corinthians 6:14-15] NLT
Happiness is the result of circumstance, but joy endures in spite of circumstances. In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. [Psalm 16:11]
Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.
A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. [Proverbs 17:22] AMP
Character is not made in crisis, it is only exhibited.
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. [Psalm 16:8]
Wisdom is the gift that keeps you from getting into bad situations.
I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run. [Proverbs 4:11-12] NLT
God has a history of using the insignificant and nondescript to accomplish the impossible.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” [Mark 10:27]NIV
I cannot mess up my life, and neither can anyone else, to the point of God not using me for His glory.
If God answered all our questions, there would be no need for faith or to pray or to trust Him!
It is not your business to succeed, but to do right: when you have done so, the rest lies with God. [C.S. Lewis]
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece. [J.C. Ryle]
In the midst of our triumphs let us cry to God for humility. [C.H. Spurgeon]
Success is discovering the will of God for your life and following it. [Charles F. Stanley]
Our Lord died an apparent failure, discredited by the leaders of established religion, rejected by society and forsaken by his friends. It took the resurrection to demonstrate how gloriously Christ had triumphed. Yet today the professed church seems to have learned nothing. How much eager-beaver religious work is done out of a carnal desire to make good. [W. Tozer]
GOD IS WISE.....All knowledge and wisdom reside in God. He has all insight and understanding. We should always trust Him to know what is best for us. To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. [Romans 16:27] By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place. [Proverbs 3:19]
The truly wise are those whose souls are in Christ. [St. Ambrose]
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. [Galatians 2:20]
Every believer has been positionally identified with Christ's death and resurrection, but the only ones who will experience this in a daily manner are those who are willing to die to themselves and let Christ live through them. Jesus wants to be more than your Lord; He wants to be your very life.
TEN THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR; if you are a Christian.
Do you consider yourself a sinner saved by grace, or a saint saved by grace who still sins? Both statements are true; but the first one dwells on your past identity, whereas the second one focuses on the Lords perception of you as His child. We should always view ourselves both in terms of what we are in Christ, that is saints, and what we are in ourselves, namely sinners.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! [Psalm 23:1 TLB]. To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. [Proverbs 17:17 NASB]. A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. [Revelation 15:4]
God is absolutely pure and perfect. There is nothing in Him that is in any way deceitful or even hints of evil or wrongdoing. Everything He does is done in righteousness. He is the Holy One; morally perfect and fully virtuous, honorable and upright. Everything He does is faultless and just. His holiness defines His divinity and we can confidently trust that He will always do what is right and good .
“Real holiness has love for its essence, humility for its clothing, the good of others as its employment, and the honor of God as its end.” [Nathanael Emmons]
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CHOOSE LIFE
February 7, 2012
Choice, not chance, determines human destiny. ...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. [Deuteronomy 30:19]
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GOD IS CREATOR
January 7, 2012
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [Genesis 1:1]
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. [Psalm 19:1]
God created a beautiful world, and God saw that it was good. Scripture tells us, He was pleased with what He had made and He gave us the world and all its beauty to enjoy. Wherever we look there is evidence of the greatness of God. His creativity is endless; each sunset has its own delightful radiance, each flower its distinctive beauty. God has created such variety and splendor to remind us of His infinite glory.
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. [Cecil F. Alexander]
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GOOD STEWARDS
December 6, 2011
Have you ever wondered what stewardship is all about? Have you ever realized that everything you own is really God's----not yours? Good stewardship means that you work and give cheerfully. Giving helps you participate in God's work. Giving helps you and your heart condition far more than it helps God. Take inventory of your gifts, talents, and possessions. Invest them in people so that with a glad heart you can enjoy the blessings of God. Those who truly enjoy God's blessings are those who have a generous heart.We own nothing; we are managers, not owners. Stewards, not landlords. Maintenance people, not proprietors. Our money and possessions is not ours; it's His. Each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily. [2 Cor. 9:7] NCV.
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OUTRAGEOUSLY JOYFUL
December 1, 2011
Jesus is not interested in our being simply happy; He wants us to be outrageously joyful!These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15: 11
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ACT OF FAITH
November 21, 2011
Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3
The greatest act of faith is when man decides he is not God.
As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances. We can be victorious despite the wrongs done to us. The problems you and I face can bring us into greater intimacy with the Father, if we will seek and trust Him.
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REPENTANCE WHAT IT MEANS
November 1, 2011
Repentance is a change of mind that is directly connected to changed conduct. God’s kindness leads you toward repentance [Rom. 2:4].
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ALONE WITH GOD
August 27, 2011
The hour we spend alone with God is the most rewarding hour in the day.
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
2 Cor. 8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
Giving is liberal according to abundance of joy, not according to abundance of wealth. Being poor cannot choke generosity; being joyless can. Joy is the source from which spring the fountains of giving.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
The church should be a teaching church, a training church, a missionary church, a soul -winning church. But only the worshiping church is spiritually undergirded to accomplish that which the Lord has commissioned her to do.
